Typically, to facilitate operation of a microphone, the backplate of a silicon microphone, such as a MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) microphone, can be biased to a high direct current (DC) voltage by an on-chip charge pump, with a certain voltage (e.g., 12 volts), and the diaphragm of the microphone can be biased to ground or to a voltage level that is relatively close to ground using a relatively high impedance to allow the diaphragm to generate an electrical signal. Microphones can be subject to certain issues, such as acoustic overload or electrostatic discharge, which can negatively impact operation of a microphone. For example, when the sound port of a silicon microphone is exposed to electrostatic discharge, the diaphragm of the microphone may be torn or moved away from its normal position by an electrostatic force that can be caused by the diaphragm and backplate being charged with charges of the same polarity, which can cause the diaphragm and backplate to repel from each other. This can cause damage to the microphone and/or negatively impact performance of the microphone.
The above-described description is merely intended to provide a contextual overview relating to sensor technology, and is not intended to be exhaustive.